1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile gear shiftlever lock, and more particularly to a gear shiftlever lock that can lock the gear shiftlever of an automobile with a manual transmission when the driver is away from the automobile, such that the automobile will not start unless the gear shiftlever is unlocked.
2. Description of Related Art
Automobile theft is quite serious in metropolitan areas. To prevent such a crime, various security means, such as alarms, steering locks, GPS tracking systems, fuel leaking devices, etc. have been introduced for users. All these devices or systems are quite useful in preventing or reducing the chances of a car from being stolen by a car theft. However, most of these devices or systems are quite delicate and expensive. Some of them even involve significant modifications to the interior of the automobile, such that not all the users can afford to have one mounted in the car. In order to provide an economic and effective lock to secure the gear shiftlever, a gear shiftlever lock is commercially promoted and is welcomed by the users. This gear shiftlever lock locks the gear shiftlever when the driver is away from the car, such that others will not be able make the car move even though the engine is xe2x80x9chot-wiredxe2x80x9d to start. This kind of gear shiftlever lock still suffers from drawbacks such as a complex structure and high manufacturing cost.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved gear shiftlever lock to mitigate and obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the invention is to provide an improved gear shiftlever for an automobile with a manual transmission. The lock is mounted directly on the gear shift housing and shaft without much modification or alternation to the original gear shiftlever. Furthermore, once the lock is in a locked state, the gear shiftlever is no longer able to be moved to shift gears.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an annular ring mounted on the gear shift seat with a through hole defined therethrough. When the lock is in a locked state, a protrusion of a latch tube that surrounds the gear shiftlever is securely received in the through hole of the ring. Thus, the gear shiftlever is locked and will not be able to be moved.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.